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Designing for People

1. Part One: General Questions

This survey was set up to support an Open University project in March 2008. The project will run until September 2008 - please visit http://tonilouisa.wordpress.com/ to learn more.
Question 1.

Everyday life can impose restrictions and barriers on those with disabilities, meaning they are unable to participate fully in society, for example unsuitable equipment or inaccessible buildings.

Question 2.

Individuals may impose their own restrictions, for example fear of going out, because of a tendency to fall or an allergy.

Question 3.

Traditional design processes have tended to overlook disabled people, however these groups are not an insignificant minority and represent an important target market.

Question 4.

Very few ‘disabled product’ manufacturers ever take design into consideration; they are normally ugly pieces of equipment too.

Question 5.

Disabled people should be consulted in the design process, so that products that are designed specifically for them, are suitable for their needs.

Question 6.

'Good design enables, bad design disables' - designers should therefore strive to develop desirable products for the widest possible audience, regardless of ability and consult all people when creating their designs.